Downton Abbey: The Exhibition has landed in Boston at The Castle at Park Plaza for an extremely limited three month run. An appropriately themed afternoon tea was held on Friday, June 14th, featuring Executive Chairman of Carnival Films, Gareth Neame, and members of the press and socialites (aka social media influencers).

…there is an extended train fight, daresay, ‘train battle’ that of course perked me right up! Lots of metal for Magneto to play with in a train fight!

One of SNL's newest cast members is rising star Chris Redd. Chris is also known for appearing on Netflix' Disjointed and in movies Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping opposite Andy Samberg, The House and A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Yesterday, Redd dropped his new album But Here We Are on Comedy Central Records (available everywhere).

British comic creator Ben McCool has a string of indie Image Comics books you’d be familiar with from the racks (Pigs, Choker, Memoir) as well as more mainstream titles such as Justice League Unlimited. He also has the honor of being the only comic creator who lives in New York that I’ve done any barhopping with, including a stop at Fenway Park’s Bleacher Bar.

In November, Ben and Valiant Comics released a new type of digital comic combining the best parts of digital native storytelling with 8-bit video games of our youth. I quite literally bought an iPad days later. Here at the Mighty Q &A, Ben tells us about Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: Unity.

Thanks for joining us, Ben! Writing Valiant 8-Bit Adventure, a prelude to Unity, must have been different for you. Did you work with the artist Donovan Santiago on the pacing and animations?

My pleasure, good sir! And for sure, the Valiant 8-bit Adventure was a break from the norm for me. In the best possible sense, though! It’s also the first project I’ve written for Valiant, and it appeared to go down very well with fans.

Donovan Santiago was brilliant to work with — the guy’s skills are off the charts, especially as he’s producing such unique and imaginative art. My script was put together in a format I’d never really used before, mainly due to the “motion” effects that incorporate two, three, sometimes even four different images within a single (oversized) panel. And Donovan was certainly a big help in me figuring that out, along with our top-notch editor, Josh Johns. But once I’d got the hang of it the transition was pretty straightforward, not least because the story was so much fun!

The struggle against X-O Manowar continues this week in the Valiant crossover Unity #2.

Toyo Harada’s first wave of infiltrators, a team of Harbingers was largely unsuccessful, and Ninjak got himself captured by the Visigoth and is now trapped in the Vine ship in Romania.

Does none of that make sense to you?

Don’t worry, with only two issues in, you can start from the beginning and get a sense of story.

Valiant, by design, is making their second wave of comics great jumping on points for new readers, and are attracting more with consistent five-star reviews for this Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) written crossover limited series.

In issue #2, Livewire, Eternal Warrior and Harada infiltrate the ship and tap into the virtual controls, in attempt to rescue Ninjak and save the planet from Aric’s invasion.

The virtual reality fight scenes drawn by Doug Braithwaite ramp the action up to eleven, making for a true page turner.

I’m telling you, drop event comics from the big two and hop on Unity. Valiant is doing it right.

Explosive action with real consequences to characters you’ve just met makes for the best kind of comics.

Not sure quite yet? Wait for the reasonably priced trade in a few months.

Harada’s team has 8-bit simulated taking down X-O Manowar in the digital prelude, but issue #1 got Ninjak locked up on Aric’s ship! The crossover event continues as The Eternal Warrior, Livewire and Harada go to rescue him in Valiant’s Unity #2! … Fred Van Lente’s time on G.I. Joe is almost over, but he gets to tell the cajun spiced gumbo origin of Roadblock in G.I. Joe #11. … Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMDatteis take the Justice League into the future in Justice League 3000 #1! Super cool future Trinity art by Howard Porter. … Picks from LeaguePodcast.com!

What do band managers do? Nothing! Just kidding! Read about Brian Epstein’s role in making The Beatles the world’s most influential Rock and Roll band! Dark Horse is proud to present The Fifth Beatle, the story of a man facing homophobia, Anti-Semitism and a someone who died all too young. … The countdown to issue #200 continues as Savage Dragon is strapped to the electric chair and is begging for the end! Savage Dragon #172 today!… Feel bad for poor Aric of Dacia because Unity is on his ass? Venditti & Nord return for X-O Manowar #19, a great jumping on point for new readers at the start of the huge Valiant Universe Unity Event as X-O defends his legacy, the land of the Visigoths aka Romania! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

Alright, its time again for Triple ShotPlus and we’re sticking with a theme this week!

There were so many comics to sort through, but in the end Batbooks and Unitycaught our eye. Zero Year continues in Batman #25 and Batgirl #25 and Harada assembles his best to defeat X-O Manowar in Valiant’s Unity #1 with a prequel of sorts only on ComiXology, Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: Unity! written by Ben McCool!

There is even a history to the dirigibles, Bruce Wayne donated them to G.C.P.D. during the blackout!

Riddler’s blacked out the city and all hell is breaking loose.

$4.99 is the price of admission for this thrill ride (last issue was $6.99, curiouser and curiouser) but worth every giant penny once again as Snyder and Capullo create an award winning modern origin for The Batman.

On the surface we are treated to a new PT Cruiser-like Batmobile (Mach I) that has a special ability never seen before, a tease that Jim Gordon was there the night Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, as well as the return of 1939 villain Doctor Death. There’s also Lucius Fox, proto-Poison Ivy and to be determined desert military action in Nigeria. Perhaps the 2004 version of Doctor Death from Batgirl is responsible for the Central African conflict. Stay tuned for more!

If you aren’t reading New 52 Batman, get to it. There’s no excuse at this point. Start with Court of Owls and work your way up. Seriously. Or start at issue #21 and see the origin of Batman like no one has ever imagined!

The panel starts off with the reveal to the pre-con teaser about the return of “The (Original) World’s Worst Supehero Team”.

The lead off announcement is that series creators Christopher Priest and M.D. Bright are returning to Quantum and Woody for a limited series set in the original Valiant Universe. No plans on expanding on the original universe beyond this series, we’re told, this is a special exception to reunite the team.

Starting in issue #5, fan favorite Mara artist Ming Doyle joins James Asmus on the current Quantum and Woodytitle, introducing the goat!